Is Ethiopian Man Really 160 Years Old? Some Say Yes

Reporters in Ethiopia say they have discovered the oldest man in the world, a farmer and community elder who could be 160 years old.

The state-run TV Oromiya published a 30-minute interview with Dhaqabo Ebba, whose vivid recollections of historical events and family tree indicate that he may have been born in the 1850s.

The journalist Mohammed Ademo, who has translated Mr Ebba’s remarkable story for the English-language OPride.com website, has suggested that the different government leaders the farmer remembers being ruled by would take him back at least 160 years.

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“When Italy [first] invaded Ethiopia [in 1895], I had two wives and my son was old enough to herd cattle,” Mr Ebba said to the TV reporter in the native Oromo language, at his house near Dodola town.

He also recalls the 8-day horseback trek it took to get from there to the capital of Addis Ababa – a journey which now only takes a couple of hours.